Rijksmuseum de Gevangenpoort

The Rijksmuseum de Gevangenpoort opens its doors to a dark and blood-curdling past. Housed in an authentic 14th-century gate on the Hofvijver in The Hague, this impressive monument served for centuries as the most notorious prison in the county of Holland. Here you’ll discover how prisoners were once held, interrogated, and punished. The museum houses the largest national collection of historical instruments of punishment and torture. Gevangenpoort not only tells stories of crime and medieval justice but also shows how humane justice and democracy, as we know them today, found their origins here.